Class extras for rexburgyoga.com

The liver’s main function is to filter toxins and excessive or poor quality fatty acids.  When we take in more chemicals or fats than the liver can handle, it stores them.  One way of releasing these stored toxins and fats is with a healthy diet.  Foods that support the liver include, leafy green vegetables, carrot juice, radishes, mushrooms, artichokes, green apples, pears, whole grains, beans, sprouts, and garlic to name a few. 

This is a cleanse I (Shelly)  recently did.  I liked this cleanse for a number of reasons.  One, all the ingredients are living foods.  Second, it did not require me to fast for a long period of time, stay close to a bathroom or be uncomfortable.  It is important to note that this should not be done if you are pregnant.  If you have had any problems with your liver or gall bladder it would be best to seek medical advice first.

Fresh juice from 1 lemon—(Lemon aids digestion by stimulating the flow of saliva, thus easing the work of the liver)

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil–(Olive oil is known for its ability to support the functions of the liver and gallbladder).

1/2 cup fresh citrus juice or apple juice  (I used apple juice) 

1 clove of garlic–(Garlic eliminates toxins from the body including metals such as lead and cadmium)

1/2 t. fresh ginger juice or a dash of dried ginger—(Ginger is anti-inflammatory, normalizes blood pressure and helps support the liver

dash cayenne—(Cayenne has antioxidant properties that help preserve and detoxify food.

Stir all these ingredients together.  Drink this mixture first thing in the morning waiting about an hour before having breakfast.  Do this for a week to 10 days. 

Tip:  I found that after drinking this mixture if I waited for a half hour before bending over I didn’t feel the mixture up in my throat.

Sometimes the detoxing process can bring on the feeling that you are coming down with a cold. This means that it’s working.   It’s called the herxheimer effect. It’s because toxins are coming from the tissues into the blood stream, or the die off of bacteria in the body.
Don’t suppress the symptoms with over-the-counter medicine. Just continue to eat healthy foods, drink plenty of warm water and get lots of rest:
the same advice for getting over any cold. You could support the detoxing symptoms with herbal or homeopathic remedies.
Here are some links about the Herxheimer effect. I have no opinion as to the product to help with the herxheimer effect. You investigate and make your own choices.
Gary Null
Herxheimer

Have you ever noticed that sometimes when you have a cold or flu, or you have been fasting for a day you have a white or yellow coating on your tongue?  English doesn’t have a name for this but Ayurvedic Medicine (medical model for traditional yoga practice) calls this white coating ama (pronounce like mama)

ama coating the digestive system

I will just give a few facts on ama, and if you want to know more, you can continue to investigate online.  Ama develops from improper digestion, the biproduct of bacterial infection, or accumulated toxins in the body.  It manifests as the white, sticky substance that coats the entire digestive system and other body systems as well.  Think about all the illnesses that show a sticky white substance:  hardening of arteries, joint pain, allergies, infections, obesity, glaucoma and more.  So when you see ama anywhere in the body, you know you have some detoxing to do.

It is also something you feel in the body:  Feeling heavy, fuzzy headed, unclear thinking, aches and pains, bloating, gas, skin blemishes, fever, lack of energy,  lack of appetite or taste, or indigestion.

There are a variety of suggestions for clearing out ama from the body, but I offer just one:  drinking warm water throughout the day.  Start with a 12-16 oz. of warm water first thing in the morning.  You could add fresh lemon to this also.  Then about 30 minutes before each meal drink another glass of warm water.  This begins to flush out the ama and other toxins from the body.

We used this reference last year, and I am posting it up this spring so we can see it again. Happy Spring!

Spring cleanse options: Do one of these or all of them – but not at the same time!

1) Eat 2-3 apples every day for the first week of spring. Apples are the highest of all fruits and grains for soluble fiber. It soothes and regulates the digestive tract, stabilizes the intestinal contractions and normalizes bowel function from either extreme. Cut out all junk food but still eat regular meals.

2) Detoxing baths –Epsom salt and ginger. This bath opens pores and eliminates toxins and also helps to eliminate pain. Stir one cup of epsom salts, baking soda and 2 tablespoons of ginger in a bowl. Put the bowl into the tub and pour boiling water over the mixture and dissolve the mixture before adding the bath water. Add as warm of water as you can handle. Do not do this bath after having fasted. Do not remain in the tub for more than 30 minutes. You will begin to sweat. Shower lightly to remove extra salt or soda. When getting out of the tub wrap up in towel or robe and rest for longer and continue to sweat. Ginger causes the sweat, salt draws out toxins and soda absorbs toxins so your body does not reabsorb.

3) Lemonade fast. Drink ½ -1 gallon of lemonade in place of food and drink for 24 hours. 1 fresh squeezed lemon in 16 oz pure water. Pure maple syrup or honey to taste. 2-3 TBl or so. Take your weight and divide in half. Drink that much in ounces during the day. But not less than ½ gallon. Then next day, break the fast with more lemonade first thing in the morning, and fresh, light foods during the rest of the day.

Yoga for digestion.

Digestive problems could come in different varieties. Here are 3 and the yoga therapy for them.

Sluggish digestion: Eat more soluble fiber everyday, like apples or oats. Sun Salutes every day include the forward and backward bending that will encourage peristaltic movement in the digestive system. Do twists everyday. Poses that build the core muscles are helpful as well.

Too much fire or heartburn, diarrhea, inflammation and acid: Supported and passive backbending poses. Stay in these supported backbends for 5-15 minutes.

Stomach in knots, constipation, bloating, gas: warmth and pressure, supported forward bends, child’s pose, adding props to stay warm

More info- Yoga Journal

Abdominal massage – good for stomach ache or cramps

1) Laying down with knees bent. Use a light easy fist and massage in the direction of the colon.

2) Begin right above the right hip bone and gently knead. This spot is where the gall bladder is located. Knead here for a bit and you will hear gurgling. This is the gall bladder releasing bile.

3) Keep kneading with light pressure going up the abdomen, then across under the ribs and then downward on the left side of the body.

4) Keep abdomen soft and relaxed and breathe deeply if painful. Keep up kneading for 2-3 minutes in this same direction.

Green drink

1 48 oz can of pineapple juice

several handfuls of spinach

other greens (celery leaves, carrot tops, alfalfa sprouts, mint leaves, dandelion greens)

Put 1 or 2 C of water in the blender and add the greens to the blender as you are blending. 1-2 min blending. You can filter out the pulp of the greens in a wire sieve or put the whole lot into a pitcher. Add the pineapple juice. Serve. Best to drink it all at one time. When its leftover, the bright green turns dark, but it is still okay to drink.

I tried sprouts of radish but it made the drink quite hot. If you think this would be ok, go for some of those hot greens, but I didn’t like it. – Leslie

Ginger-Lemon Tea

The best would be to use fresh ginger and a fresh lemon, but this would be the next best thing.

Boil some water and then in your tea jar or pot put 1/2 tsp ginger (more or less depending on how hot you like)

Let steep for 30 min or so then add 2-4 TBL Real lemon juice (this is the brand name of the best juice) Add some honey to taste.

The amount of ginger, lemon and honey is variable depending upon how much you are making and how tart or sweet or hot you like it. Ginger is a spice that brings heat. This is a good tea for breaking a fast or 30 min before a meal. It stimulates the digestive system.

Here are some links to learn more about uses of pineapple, ginger, and more tea recipes.
Buzzle
People’s pharmacy
Chet Day
Buzzle – pineapple
Natural Remedies

Since this Sunday is Fast Sunday anyway, I thought I would lengthen that out and do a fall cleanse. I like to do something in the spring and fall. Since watermelon is in season now, that’s what I will use. It’s on sale this whole week too. That helps. I will use today and tomorrow days to eat only live foods, then Saturday and Sunday I will eat lots of watermelon. Monday back to live foods and Tuesday introduce a more regular diet. That’s the plan. I’ll see how it goes. I am also going to do the salt water cleanse: - Prepare a full quart of warm water and add two teaspoons of sea salt. Drink the entire quart of salt and water first thing in the morning. This must be taken on an empty stomach. Best taken first thing in the morning. I will do that on Fri and Sat and decide after that how many days to do that.